In Mokokchung, conservation is not enforced; it is inherited. For generations, Ao Naga communities have protected forests through sacred groves and customary practices, embedding ecology into culture.

When Dr. Sentitula, a 2011-batch Indian Forest Service officer, took charge as divisional forest officer, she chose not to impose change but to listen. Trained as a veterinary doctor with degrees from Guwahati and Karnal, she brought scientific knowledge but grounded it in community tradition and wisdom.

As she told Indian Masterminds, “Forest and community cannot be separated, and the knowledge of conservation is rooted in the community.”

This belief shaped the Mokokchung Model of Community Conservation, an approach that strengthens, rather than replaces, local systems. Recognizing that over 80% of Nagaland’s forests are community-owned, she worked through village institutions.

A key focus was Jhum cultivation, practiced widely across the state. Instead of discouraging it, her team improved it. Under the Nagar Van Yojana, launched in 2020, 50 hectares of degraded Jhum fallow land were restored into community-managed spaces with plantations, water conservation efforts, and forest trails.

Dr. Sentitula also brought technology to complement tradition. Forest areas were mapped using GPS and drones, while indigenous practices like stone bunding were documented and integrated. Global insights from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and KfW Development Bank further refined restoration strategies.

The initiative also placed strong emphasis on trust-building. By walking forest lands with villagers, documenting oral histories, and involving elders to bridge generational gaps, Dr. Sentitula strengthened community ownership and participation while preserving the details.

The results are visible: regenerated forests, stronger community ownership, and livelihoods through forest-based enterprises.

Mokokchung today stands as a living model where conservation succeeds not by enforcement but by identity and shared responsibility.

Courtesy: IndianMasterMinds